Pool Neck Floats a Danger to Babies, FDA Warns

Neck floats marketed for babies to use in water can lead to serious injury or death, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned this week.

The inflatable plastic rings are especially dangerous for infants who have developmental delays or special needs, such as those with spina bifida, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 1, Down syndrome o...

Staffing Shortages Have U.S. Nursing Homes in Crisis

There's a shortage of nursing home beds for the elderly in America due to a severe staffing crisis that has caused long-term care facilities to cut back on new admissions, new research shows.

Three out of five nursing homes (61%) have limited new admissions due to staffing shortages, according to a survey conducted by the American Health C...

Demand for Abortion Pills, Info Has Been Surging for Weeks

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Shortly after news broke in May that Roe v. Wade was in danger of being overturned by the Supreme Court, internet searches for abortion pills surged, a new study shows.

On May 2, a leaked draft ruling indicated that the court was poised to strike down the 1973 ruling that guar...

First Major League Soccer Player Is Diagnosed With CTE

When former professional Major League Soccer (MLS) player Scott Vermillion died at age 44, he had stage 2 CTE, his family announced Tuesday.

He is the first former MLS player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Vermillion died from an accidental overdose in December 2020.

"This disease destroys families, and not j...

AHA News: Sleep Joins Revamped List of Heart Health Essentials

Proper sleep is essential, and a widely used scoring system for heart and brain health is being redefined to reflect that.

Since 2010, the American Heart Association has said seven modifiable components – maintaining a healthy weight, not smoking, being physically active, eating a healthy diet and controlling blood pressure, cholesterol ...

Could Getting Your Flu Shot Help Prevent Alzheimer's?

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- A yearly flu shot may do more than protect you from a nasty bout of influenza: New research suggests it may help guard against Alzheimer’s disease as well.

People who were vaccinated at least once over four years were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s during that peri...

Kids Happier, Healthier Away From All Those Screens: Study

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- New research confirms the dangers of too much screen time for kids and teens: Those who play sports, take music lessons, or socialize with friends after school are happier and healthier than children who are glued to a screen during these hours.

"Screen time, where you ar...

Could Llamas Hold the Key to Fighting COVID-19?

Llamas are more than beautiful creatures -- they could also help protect humans from COVID-19 and a large array of similar viruses.

Contained in their blood samples are tiny, robust immune particles that could protect against every COVID-19 variant, including Omicron and 18 similar viruses, a team of researchers reported.

The findin...

Antibiotic-Resistant 'Superbug' Now Widespread in Pigs, Can Jump to Humans

WEDNESDAY, June 29, 2022 (HealthDay News) – A strain of the superbug MRSA has emerged in pigs that is highly resistant to antibiotics and a growing cause of human infections.

University of Cambridge researchers said this particular strain of MRSA, short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, has shown up in livestock o...

Even When Stroke Centers Are Near, Black Americans Often Lack Access

Even though Black people may be more likely to live near a hospital with a certified stroke center, those who need the specialty care are still more likely to receive it at a hospital with fewer resources.

And this can hurt their chances for recovery, a new study shows.

"Black, racially segregated communities tended to cluster in ar...

Vision Issues Could Raise Odds for Dementia

Untreated vision loss may put an older adult at an increased risk for dementia, though it's not clear why, according to a new study.

Researchers found that the likelihood of having some form of cognitive impairment was 137% higher in seniors who had trouble seeing than in those without vision issues. Cognitive impairment is a general term ...

FDA Panel Supports Rollout of Tweaked Booster Shots From Moderna, Pfizer This Fall

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recommended on Tuesday that updated COVID-19 booster shots be used this fall to protect against Omicron and its highly contagious subvariants.

Because the virus mutates so quickly, the FDA may approve the new vaccine formulations, since COVID-19 cases are expected to surge again this winte...

Odds for Emergency Room Visits Rise With Pot Use

Toking up increases your risk of landing in the hospital, a new study reports.

Recreational marijuana use was associated with 22% greater odds of needing to visit an emergency room or be hospitalized, Canadian researchers found.

The study showed physical injuries, lung ailments and gastrointestinal problems were the top three reasons...

Why Do Black Women Have More Delays for Lifesaving Breast Biopsies?

TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Women of color may face delays in getting a biopsy after a screening mammogram suggests they might have breast cancer, a large, new study finds.

Researchers found that compared with white women, Asian, Black and Hispanic women were all more likely to wait over a month for a brea...

Some Pharmacy Chains Limit Morning-After Pill Sales to Avoid Potential Shortage

CVS and Rite Aid are limiting purchases of morning-after pills in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.

To avoid a shortage, CVS is temporarily restricting purchases of the emergency contraceptives to three boxes per customer.

The chain said it had "ample supply" of Plan B and Aftera (both levonorgestrel),...

Facebook, Instagram Take Down Posts Offering Abortion Pills

Facebook and Instagram have started taking down posts that offer abortion pills to women who may not be able to get them after the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.

These posts told women how to get abortion pills through the mail even in states that had banned them.

Facebook and Instagram began deleting posts that mentioned a...

AHA News: 38-Year-Old Learns the Surprising Reason She Had a Heart Attack

As she finished mowing the lawn of her home in Girard, Ohio, Amy Kren had a somewhat familiar feeling.

The shortness of breath and tightness in her chest seemed like another asthma attack. She went into the garage and put a hand on a lawn chair to steady herself and placed her other hand on her chest, trying to catch her breath. The sympto...

AHA News: 9 Ways to Protect Your Heart and Brain From the Summer Heat

Your favorite summertime playlist probably has more songs about surfing than about potential health risks. But with much of the nation having already sweated out a historic heat wave in June, health experts would like to add a note of caution to the mix.

Hot weather is like a stress test for your heart, said Dr. Lance Becker, chair of emer...

Talking to Kids About Abortion Bans Can Be Tough. Experts Offer Guidance

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade and the resulting media coverage is likely causing anxiety for many people, including children.

On Friday, the high court's ruling on Dobbs v Jackson Women's Health Organization ostensibly kicked decisions about restricting or banning abortion back to the states.

This ...

Which Americans Live Longest? Race, Region May Be Key

TUESDAY, June 28, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Americans' life expectancy varies widely -- based not only on race, but where in the country they live.

That's one of the overarching messages from a new study that looked, state by state, at Americans' life expectancy at birth. It found that between 1990 and 2019, racial dispar...